Benefits Of Homeschooling » Home School Tips

Tips for Choosing the Best Homeschool Tools

Mary Masterson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:18:22 +0000

Choosing to school your child at home is a great idea for both you as well as your child, however you have to understand that it is no small thing. It is a great responsibility, as you have placed their education as well as their future in your hands. You won't just be the teacher, you'll have to keep track of every single thing that happens, and that includes the amount of time spent in the classroom. You'll also need to keep track of attendance, things they've done, and many more things. This is a lot of work however, so wouldn't it be just great if there was something to do it all for you? Guess what? There is! There are many different homeschool software packages available and they will keep track of everything, in addition to a schedule tailored to your needs. But there are so many out there, which do you choose?

As technology has improved, so has homeschool software. If you can think of something that you need, there is undoubtedly a piece of software to help. What are some features that you should look for in homeschool software? The first thing that you'll need to do is keep track of attendance and the hours that you're in the classroom. This might seem like it's not necessary considering you will know where your kids are at all times, but it really is important. It's also a great tool for you to know how much time you've spent on something. Most homeschool software programs will allow you to create a schedule as well. This is invaluable for helping you balance your time between teacher and parent. Without some sort of schedule to stick to, you'll be all over the map.

Another important feature to have is some way to set goals for your student and track progress. One of the most important things that you can do for your child is teach them how to reach goals and it's obvious that you can't reach a goal if you don't have one. Once you set the goal for them, they need to be able to track their progress. A good homeschool software program will do this for them.

Make sure that you also watch your own plans very carefully. While you are making lesson plans you'll be able to save them and pull them up some other time. Additionally, most curriculum for homeschooling that you are using will have the option of being integrated with the software package that you choose. You'll be able to share your curriculum with other home school teachers as well, and that will help others who are just starting out. Your child may also be presented with the option of doing assignments on the computer, allowing the software to track their progress and let you know how they are doing, as well as what areas they need to work on the most.

Having done these things, you may even track their grades using this software. This method is perfect for monitoring their progress in the different areas, and you'll even have the option of printing out report cards for them.

Basically you need to ensure that the program you buy has those functions at the very least. Many of the programs on the market have these as basic functions in addition to many more. Above all, make sure that the package you buy meets the needs of both you and your child.

About the Author:

If you're thinking of buying any Homeschool Software, hear free tips at Mary Masterson's blog, http://www.FreeHomeschoolTips.com for free tips, recommendations and feedback on Homeschool Software, courses, and other programs to make your homeschool experience enjoyable for you and your children.

Kindergarten Homeschool Calendar Letters Hooked on Phonics Learning Lot
$39.99 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 39m
Bid now

NEW 16 Stories Sisters in Time Series Set American Adventure History Homeschool
$34.99
Time Remaining: 29d 16h 39m
Buy It Now for only: $34.99
Buy It Now

Homeschool Learning Aids I Can Spell Equations Hands on Activities
$0.99 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 43m
Bid now

Lot 2 LN Educational Sticker Books 2005 Science Planet Earth 200 Stickers
$4.99
Time Remaining: 47m
Bid now

New Saxon Math 87 8 7 Home Study Kit Homeschool Edition
$63.95
Time Remaining: 15d 18h 27m
Buy It Now for only: $63.95
Buy It Now

Zondervan NIV Study Bible Burgundy Bonded Leather NEW
$39.99 (2 Bids)
Time Remaining: 55m
Bid now

Lot of 6 Homeschool Library Books Festivals of the World and Postcards Poland
$0.99
Time Remaining: 58m
Bid now

New Saxon Math Algebra 1 2 Half Home Study Kit Homeschool Edition
$49.95
Time Remaining: 15d 20h 28m
Buy It Now for only: $49.95
Buy It Now

LOT OF SCHOLASTIC PHONICS READING PROGRAM HOME SCHOOL TEACHER DAYCARE
$35.00 (19 Bids)
Time Remaining: 1h 6m
Bid now

Leave Us Alone by Grover G Norquist SIGNED COPY New
$6.99
Time Remaining: 1h 9m
Bid now

60 HOMESCHOOL TEACHING READING KINDERGARTEN PRESCHOOL
$29.99
Time Remaining: 4d 13h 42m
Buy It Now for only: $29.99
Buy It Now

2 copies of Totally Awesome Health 1999 good for approximately 5th graders
$2.00
Time Remaining: 1h 16m
Bid now

Phonics Elementary reproducibles MORE CONSONANTS Homeschool teachers
$4.99
Time Remaining: 1h 24m
Buy It Now for only: $8.99
Buy It Now | Bid now

SAXON MATH 65 3 ED HOMESCHOOL HOME STUDY KIT NEW GR 5
$57.88
Time Remaining: 4d 37m
Buy It Now for only: $57.88
Buy It Now

The Case for Christ Student Edition and Leaders Guide Bundle by Strobel Vogel
$3.99
Time Remaining: 1h 25m
Buy It Now for only: $4.98
Buy It Now | Bid now

Phonics Elementary reproducibles teacher edition homeschool lot of 2 books
$6.99
Time Remaining: 1h 27m
Buy It Now for only: $11.99
Buy It Now | Bid now

Italic Handwriting Instruction Manual Teaching Guide
$12.75
Time Remaining: 29d 18h 1m
Buy It Now for only: $12.75
Buy It Now

Mary Fabyan Windeatt Tan Books NEW Catholic Homeschooling Saints Stories Lot 17
$97.00
Time Remaining: 1h 29m
Bid now

Lot of Beka Books Home School great condition
$9.99
Time Remaining: 1h 31m
Bid now

NEW LOT 60 HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM KINDERGARTEN PRESCHOOL
$29.99
Time Remaining: 9d 18h 30m
Buy It Now for only: $29.99
Buy It Now

Social Studies United States Florida Edition Bundle Grade 5 10 books
$59.99
Time Remaining: 1h 34m
Buy It Now for only: $69.99
Buy It Now | Bid now

What God Says About Me Group Study 4 6 gr Gospel Light
$11.50
Time Remaining: 1h 34m
Buy It Now for only: $12.99
Buy It Now | Bid now

International Edition Methods Toward A Science Of Be
$51.69
Time Remaining: 16d 14h 38m
Buy It Now for only: $51.69
Buy It Now

Lot 2 Workbooks Math Made Easy DK Math Bridge Grade 3 4 5 NEW Homeschool
$8.70
Time Remaining: 1h 35m
Buy It Now for only: $12.30
Buy It Now | Bid now

The Relationship Principles of Jesus by Tom Holladay
$3.99 (3 Bids)
Time Remaining: 1h 35m
Bid now

A Reason For Handwriting Cursive C Student Workbook
$15.95
Time Remaining: 26d 19h 30m
Buy It Now for only: $15.95
Buy It Now

Alpha Omega Lifepac Spanish I Elective Homeschool 5 Book Set 6 10
$21.99
Time Remaining: 1h 38m
Bid now

The Mystery of History Creation to Resurrection by Linda Lacour Hobar 2003
$21.01 (9 Bids)
Time Remaining: 1h 43m
Bid now

Shurley English Level 7 Practice Booklet Homeschool
$6.37
Time Remaining: 4d 23h 20m
Buy It Now for only: $6.37
Buy It Now

Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs Ravielli Great Extinction Controversy Handbook Benton
$20.00
Time Remaining: 1h 46m
Bid now

Post from: Benefits Of Homeschooling

Tips for Choosing the Best Homeschool Tools

Home School Tips

Christopher Pyle — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 03:33:12 +0000

We'll increase the steps to take to ensure renaissance learning here in part II of II. In the first segment of this installment we looked into peer to peer and global socialization needs of the home schooled child and some ways we might ensure we get this socialization. Then we looked at the concept of learning from different environments, getting out of the house and exposing the home school student to experiential learning in the world we live.

A parent/educator must know they are not the end all for their child's education. It's okay to recognize one's limits, in fact it's healthy and offers a great learning opportunity to a child: seeing a parent know their limitation and how they respond to it. For example, much is to be learned from team sports, not all are equipped to be a football coach, etc. In this case, the parent looks outside his/her self and enrolls the child into a sport league. Perhaps it's camping or tying knots or painting or building or working on cars, etc., there are many opportunities to expose a child to the world at hand, to provide learning opportunities by recognizing ones own limits and responding positively to the limits.

Even still, the parent/educator may be able to teach the fundamentals or the concept of a subject but may choose to enroll the child in a class, club or camp simply to change up the learning environment, the voice of authority. This has been alluded to a couple of times in the article. This is not an indictment of the parent/educator it's simple human nature: the child is going to tune you out. Heck, most parents who aren't teaching their children find the children will tune them out. Add to the normal job of parent, teacher, and your opportunity to be tuned out increases exponentially. So, be aware, look for safe opportunities to switch it up.

Once limitations are owned new doors can be opened to provide the home school child an unlimited education of life and learning.

Often home school kids aren't physical enough. In school there is physical education, recess and or team sports. All of these offer physicality an important element in learning. Studies have shown tying physicality to a lesson or during a lesson increases memory retention. Too, there is the physical awareness of ones own body: balance, coordination, spacial awareness, muscle tone, etc. This isn't to say all kids should be athletes but being physical, being in motion is positive for health and vitality, learning and recollection.

The home school parent can find many venues to offset the lack of a PE class: park and recreation departments, community service districts, public pools, gyms and independent sports clubs are all excellent avenues for physicality and interaction. There are also more solo type activities or programs you can look toward: cycling, rope climbing, hiking, walking, jumping rope etc. Earlier it was noted the adventure camp offers more than just socialization, this is another element a camp can touch on, physical challenges and endeavors. Opportunities for physical/body education are many.

Spinning off of physicality is the need for self-awareness and self-discovery. There is a powerful self-empowering aspect to challenging oneself and achieving a goal. This empowerment can come from engaging a new situation and leaving the situation feeling good about one's self, how they handled the situation. Even more comes from taking on a challenge that has an initial response of, 'no way, I couldn't do that', and then doing it. Students, and adults for this matter, feel better about themselves when they accomplish something. This is why people swim the English Channel, run marathons, enter spelling bees etc. These experiences make us better people, make us stronger and give us a stronger sense of self and conviction to stand by our beliefs.

An interesting thing happens when a child is thrust into an entirely new environment stripped of old safety nets and patterns of behavior. In the adventure camp setting, with new friends (other campers) and new teachers (counselor/guides) encouraging and dictating what is to be done, a child will go farther, extending themselves beyond what they previously thought they could. They won't turn for help or ask to quit the task nearly as quickly as they would if a parent was near. There are established patterns of nurturing and needing between parent and child and if the parent is there, the moment the "I can't do this" flag comes into the child's mind, they'll turn and ask for help. The parent, conditioned to rescue and protect instinctively reaches out. In the new environment this doesn't occur. Everyone involved is encouraging the completion of the task. Of course, it is completed and the personal awareness, confidence and new self-definition of who one is is amazingly powerful.

For concentrated and skilled doses of: socialization, peer-socialization, experiential education, new voices of teaching, physicality and self-discovery look to an adventure camp. An outdoor setting is suggested simply because learning increases out of doors and these camps are most likely going to have a focus on physical/engaged learning with ropes or hikes, whitewater rafting, camping etc. This type of summer camp provides a whole host of learning experiences. The learning grows exponentially if one chooses a residential style camp wherein the kids stay the night. The concentrated experiences lend themselves to tremendous growth and prove extremely healthy to the home schooler who not only finds new confidence but friends to keep in touch throughout the year.